Helen McLaren making a coffee.
After 17 years of taking care of the community, Helen McLaren and Scott Chamberlain are pulling up stumps at Helen’s Coffee Lounge.
It was a baptism of fire all those year ago with Helen conceding, “I had done six months work in hospitality and we got the chance to come in.”
“I didn’t know much about hospitality or how to how to run a business back then.”
“When Covid struck we just stayed open. As I said, Covid wasn’t going to wreck my business. We just did takeaways and deliveries. It was hard going as we had to think all the time and do a lot of advertising.”
Over the years the business has had a steady stream of repeat customers who have thirst and a hunger for the gourmet food.
“We are pretty busy all the time. We get local clientele and then we get the travelling trade because we open seven days. With the business set to be sold and handed over, Helen and partner Scott may take a little break.
“I’ll have a break for a while and then I’ll try and get into something a few days a week.
“I love talking to the people, that’s what brings me to work each day.”
The seven day slog hasn’t been easy over the years, but it always meant Coota had a place to go to for great food.
“We’ve always opened seven days a week, except for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. For the first three years we worked seven days straight to build it up and when I look back I don’t know how I did it.”
“I will miss the customers, but it’s time for family. Our kids all live away and it’s been hard watching the grandkids grow up. The new owners will close for a week or so to do some renovations. I’ve got to know them and they are so friendly. It will be good for the town. I’m pleased they are buying it as they will do bigger and better things and the town needs some-thing different.”
Helen was quick to thank all of her customers over the years. “Thank you to all the people for supporting us and having faith in us to succeed. We have had the same clientele coming in for 17 years. There’s one lady who is turning 96 and she’s been coming the whole time. We have little kids that say let’s go to Helen’s, let’s go to Helen’s. The play equipment for the kids at the back has been a big drawcard. The kids can play while the mothers have a chat.”
It’s farewell to a great business and hello to another, best of luck to Helen and Scott in the future.
La Crema Cafe and Restaurant is Coming Soon in Coota
The departure of Helen’s Cafe in Cootamundra will leave a brief hole in the community and although they won’t be forgotten, a new era is here.
La Crema Cusina Cafe and Restaurant will be taking over the premises soon.
With their shop, S & AJ Cafe and Restaurant in Young, they have achieved a ton of accolades including 2024 best cafe and restaurant as rated by the Quality Business Awards.
Aldrin Dubuan explains to us what Coota can look forward to and why you should check out their upcoming place.
“S & AJ Cafe and Restaurant has been in Young for three years and has been pretty successful. Our goal is to create the best eateries we can and if we can expand more to other places, that would be great. Cootamundra is our next town to put one in and serve the lovely community there. We are showcasing and sharing the service that we have and of course our dishes.
“One of the missions of S & AJ Cafe and Restaurant is to share with the locals what we have in the metro area. We want to bring those dishes to the regional towns of NSW so people don’t have to go to Sydney or Melbourne.
“On the menu will be Asian dishes, Mediterranean and Westernised dishes as well. There are a lot of things and we have and a lot of new dishes that we can offer.
“We have salad dishes, meat dishes and seafood as well.
“All I can say is it is going to be very different one for La Crema Cusina.
“Cootamundra is a lovely community. At S & AJ in Young we have so many patrons travelling from Cootamundra to get our coffee and our food.
“A lot of people are so excited that we are opening in Cootamundra. Everyday someone from Cootamundra will ask when are we opening because they know that we are serving quality food and coffee and have the best service in town. Our opening day will be February 28. We are currently hiring staff for the kitchen and front of house.
Currently the roles and their responsibilities are:
Casual Cook (3-4 days per week) ▪ Must have kitchen experience ▪ Strong attention to detail ▪ Team player attitude
Full-Time Barista / Front of House ▪ Must have barista experience ▪ RSA preferred (or willingness to obtain)
Customer-focused and team-oriented Casual Front of House Superstar ▪ Barista experience is a plus ▪ Flexible availability, approx. 30 hours per week ▪ Friendly and energetic personality.
Keep an eye out for more updates about its opening.
-Jack Murray
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